Hi all,
I am trying to execute an application in XIP mode from an external QSPI flash on an nRF device (nRF5340, Zephyr + MCUBOOT). The setup is:
- Partition file:pm_static.yml
#### Internal flash layout ####
mcuboot:
address: 0x0
end_address: 0x10000
region: flash_primary
size: 0x10000
mcuboot_pad:
address: 0x10000
end_address: 0x10200
region: flash_primary
size: 0x200
# unused_1:
# address: 0x10200
# end_address: 0xf0000
# region: flash_primary
# size: 0xdfe00
settings_storage:
address: 0xf0000
end_address: 0x100000
region: flash_primary
size: 0x10000
#### QSPI flash layout ####
app:
address: 0x10000200
end_address: 0x10200000
region: external_flash
size: 0x1FFE00
mcuboot_primary:
address: 0x10000000
device: external_flash
end_address: 0x10200000
region: external_flash
size: 0x200000
mcuboot_primary_pad:
address: 0x10000000
end_address: 0x10000200
region: external_flash
size: 0x200
mcuboot_primary_app:
address: 0x10000200
device: MX25R64
end_address: 0x10200000
region: external_flash
size: 0x1FFE00
mcuboot_secondary:
address: 0x10200000
device: MX25R64
end_address: 0x10400000
region: external_flash
size: 0x200000
mcuboot_secondary_pad:
address: 0x10200000
end_address: 0x10200200
region: external_flash
size: 0x200
mcuboot_secondary_app:
address: 0x10200200
device: MX25R64
end_address: 0x10400000
region: external_flash
size: 0x1FFE00
unused_qspi_1:
address: 0x10400000
device: MX25R64
end_address: 0x10800000
region: external_flash
size: 0x400000
#### OTP flash layout ####
otp:
address: 0xff8100
end_address: 0xff83fc
region: otp
size: 0x2fc
#### SRAM layout ####
rpmsg_nrf53_sram:
address: 0x20070000
end_address: 0x20080000
placement:
before:
- end
region: sram_primary
size: 0x10000
sram_primary:
address: 0x20000000
end_address: 0x20070000
region: sram_primary
size: 0x70000
- prj.conf snippet:
CONFIG_PM_EXTERNAL_FLASH_BASE=0x10000000
- The QSPI is correctly flashed using west flash.
I am facing multiple issues and would appreciate guidance on the correct procedures.
Problem 1: MCUBOOT fails to boot
-
Symptom: MCUBOOT crashes at startup because it cannot find the image.
-
Investigation:
-
boot_rom_address_check() identifies the image that should execute at 0x10000200.
-
However, f_off is 0x0 and IMAGE_F_ROM_FIXED is set
-
-
Questions:
-
What is the proper procedure to fix this?
-
Is my pm_static.yml incorrect?
-
Is f_off misconfigured?
-
Should I remove IMAGE_F_ROM_FIXED?
-
Problem 2: Application hardfault when starting manually
-
Symptom: When starting the application manually (setting SP and PC after QSPI initialization in MCUBOOT), it crashes during QSPI initialization.
-
Cause: qspi_workaround_215_43_apply() temporarily disconnects the QSPI by modifying pinmux. As we are executing from flahs
-
Attempted solution: Relocate QSPI driver code to RAM:
zephyr_code_relocate(FILES ${ZEPHYR_BASE}/../modules/hal/nordic/nrfx/drivers/src/nrfx_qspi.c LOCATION RAM_TEXT )
-
Outcome: The code is relocated, but jumping to it causes a hardfault (likely MPU related).
-
Question: What is the recommended way to safely relocate functions to RAM for QSPI initialization? Should certain MPU configurations or function attributes be used?
Problem 3: XIP offset strategy
-
Goal: Adjust xip_offset to avoid swapping two images in QSPI.
-
Question: Is there a recommended approach or best practice for using xip_offset in this scenario?
Thanks for your help
Rémi
